The present invention relates to a post mounted mailbox assembly, and more specifically to a swing arm support for a mailbox which allows the mailbox to swing or rotate in a horizontal axis when disturbed or impacted.
Mailboxes in rural or residential areas are commonly supported on an upstanding vertical post located adjacent a roadway where mail is delivered. They often include a vertical post which contains a horizontal support beam to position the mailbox at an appropriate location where the mail is to be delivered. On occasion, a mail delivery truck will inadvertently be driven into and/or contact the mailbox as a result of the driver attempting to position the mail delivering vehicle to a point within arms length access of the mailbox. This event usually damages or destroys the mailbox and its supporting structure. In addition, snow plows, buses, automobiles and other vehicles also occasionally are driven off the roadway and collide with roadside mailboxes and/or their supporting structure. A common threat to a fixed mailbox assembly results from the removal of snow being pushed by snow plows which either damages or destroys the mailbox and/or supporting structure. In any of the above cases, the mail box and/or its supporting structure is usually damaged to the point where it cannot be repaired, and is unsuitable for further use. When this event occurs during winter, when the ground is frozen, it becomes a significant hardship on the owner of the mailbox to attempt to have it replaced when the ground is frozen solid. This event results in a great inconvenience on the part of the homeowner who may have to wait until when the ground thaws before the mailbox support structure can be replaced.
The prior art is replete with numerous structures which attempt to address the above described problem by providing a moveable or swinging mailbox support in an attempt to overcome the problems described above.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,802,656; 1,645,768; and 1,440,043 teach the use of a swingable support for a mailbox, and have the common feature in which a vertical moveable post or pipe is telescoped within the inner diameter of a lower support post, with the top post supporting the mailbox, and being allowed to rotate within the bottom post when the mailbox and its support are deflected or hit by a moving object. This disadvantage associated with this structure is that in cold and freezing weather the telescoping arrangement can freeze solid, and resist rotation, and when hit by a moving object will break or snap off due to the vertical moveable post being immobilized due to being frozen solid within the lower support member. This structure, therefore, presents certain problems with regard to its use in cold weather.
A variation of the above concept is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,086 which provides for rotation through a bracket-pipe arrangement which is attached to a support post.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,273,696 and 5,524,853 are directed to swingable mailbox supports which are used in conjunction with spring members to allow the mail box to freely rotate about a central axis in the event of a collision with the springs functioning to restore the mailbox to its initial position. These structures are complex in their design, and require that the springs and associated hardware be in proper register and adjustment for the devices to work reliably.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,079,510; 2,149,050; 2,550,338; 2,995,330; and 3,881,650 are also directed to swingable or moveable mailbox devices, but teach complex structures which appear to be expensive to manufacture, and impractical in operation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a swing arm support for a mailbox which overcomes the problems of the prior art noted above.
Is a further object of the present invention to provide a swing arm support for a mailbox which is reliable in operation and economical to manufacture.
As a further object of the present invention to provide a swing arm support for a mailbox which is reliable in operation, and is easy to maintain.